Become a Mentor to Refugee Girls!

BECOME A MENTOR

GirlForward Chicago is seeking dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers for our Mentoring Program, which matches women mentors with girls resettled through the refugee resettlement program. As a mentor, you will be paired with a mentee in grades 9-12 or a recent graduate and will meet with her for at least two hours per week to talk about school, relationships, and careers, and to do fun and engaging activities together. As a mentor, you will make a one-year commitment to GirlForward and will receive trainings to prepare you for this role.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Commit to mentoring a high school girl for at least two hours per week for one year
• Meet with mentee to discuss subjects related to GirlForward’s Four W’s: Wellness, Wisdom, Wallet, World, as part of GirlForward’s Mentoring Program curriculum.
• Must be an ally to GF girls and comfortable talking about issues such as race, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, academics, health, relationships, community engagement and others.
• Set and work toward achieving goals with mentee.
• Attend group mentoring trainings.
• Communicate with mentee’s family and community.
• Maintain communication with GirlForward staff.
• Complete monthly mentor evaluations.
• Be an active member of the GirlForward community.

Qualifications

• Must identify as female
• Must be at least 21 years old
• Must have access to reliable transportation (public transit/car)
• Experience working with youth, tutoring, or mentoring preferred
• Fluency in English, knowledge of additional languages including Arabic, Pashto, Dari, Burmese and others highly preferred
• Must have a strong commitment to social justice and community engagement.
• Must believe in the practice of cultural humility and critically analyze their own identity, culture, power, and belief system in relation to the community.
• Must believe in the power of adolescent girls to create positive change in their communities and the world!

Women who identify as immigrants, refugees and/or women of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Process

The process to become a GirlForward mentor includes five steps:

1) Watch our virtual info session

2) Apply by June 30th! - Application link will be provided upon completing the info session linked above.

3) Complete an interview.

4) Reference and background check.

5) Attend training

If following the screening process you are invited to become a mentor with GirlForward, you will be paired with a mentee in August 2026.